A Strong Global Focus

In selecting an Executive MBA program, an important decision-making factor for Gautham Parthasarathy was the degree to which global topics were incorporated into the curriculum. He was particularly impressed by a hallmark feature of the NYU Stern EMBA program - two required Global Study Tours (GST), which provide the opportunity to study internationally and learn first-hand about global business issues.

Gautham was pleased to learn that the second GST for his class would be to China. Since beginning the EMBA program at Stern, Gautham’s curiosity for China increased as he studied various aspects of the “global economic juggernaut’s” recent trajectory. In preparation for their one-week visit to China, he an his classmates researched everything from China’s attractiveness to foreign investment – assessing mergers and acquisitions, FDI risks, corruption and intellectual property protection - to macroeconomic issues like the WTO accession and the burgeoning domestic economy.

Upon arriving in China, Gautham recalls appreciatively how “Professor Doug Guthrie helped with insightful pre-trip lectures on the bus,” which set the stage for their trek through both rural and urban Chinese economies. Highlights for Gautham included traveling to Suzhou Industrial Park, visiting Wilson Chemical’s vast chemical facility as well as a modern automated electronics assembly plant in Nanjing, and participating in interactive sessions with entrepreneurs, bankers and consultants working in China. Also topping the list were the well-planned visits to Beijing and Shanghai, the ultra fast Maglev train traveling at 431 kilometers per hour, and cultural sites such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square.

Now, settled back into life in western Massachusetts, Gautham reflects enthusiastically that this “global classroom” experience has enabled him to better comprehend the business practices and cultural influences affecting both developing and mature economies. Gautham suspects that, because of his GST experience in China, it is likely he will pursue business opportunities related to emerging economies in the future.